


The Lake Monster Effect

by marsakat



Series: Summer camp fun [3]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, M/M, Skinny Dipping, There's no such thing as monsters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-09 16:53:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6915373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marsakat/pseuds/marsakat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyler has only ever been swimming in pools, and sometimes the subtleties of social interactions are lost on him.  Brendon takes advantage, because when else can one convince a nearly 18 year old boy that there are such things as monsters?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lake Monster Effect

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Tyler had been swimming before (he's turning 18 soon of course he's swam before), but only ever in a pool. he's also been homeschooled so he doesn't quite understand sarcasm and tends to be gullible, so after a camp regular tells him a monster lives at the bottom of the lake, it takes weeks for Josh to get ty in the water

Brendon can be utterly charming and convincing, so when he matter-of-factly starts telling Tyler about the creature that resides at the bottom of the lake, Tyler listens with wide eyes.  He doesn’t necessarily  _say_  the word “monster” since that’d be a dead giveaway, but the tentacled creature that brushes at their feet, dragging away tasty morsels sounds plausible especially when Brendon starts using Latin-sounding terms.  

He’d been going to the camp for years and years, and Tyler hadn’t been steered wrong by his instructions before.  So he believed him, especially when Brendon spoke with a sad look on his face and a slight sob about a friend that had gone missing after feeling the monster tugging on his feet.

The lake was scary—Tyler was used to clear pools where he could see the bottom and there were no weeds or logs to bump against.  He went in to the lake only twice before Brendon told him about the monster.  And then Tyler vowed to only go in the rivers which were shallow and the saline levels were too low for the beast to enter (according to Brendon).  It was hard to find excuses though, especially when the days grew humid and the campers barely left the lake.

It took several days for Josh to pry the reason out of Tyler, and he laughed for several minutes until Tyler grew hot in the face and stormed away.  

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at you.  It’s just that Brendon is a smug asshole sometimes.  His idea of a joke.”  Josh figured out  quickly that Tyler was not very good with social subtleties like sarcasm and banter.  Throughout the early part of the summer, he took things way too literally, though he’d gotten better through Josh’s coaching.

* * *

 

(“Josh, I think Pete wants to fight me.”  
“What makes you say that?”  
“I took the last ice cream sandwich.  He said, and I quote ‘fight me’.  I know he’s smaller than me but he’s scrappy and I have soft hands.  Josh, how do I get out of this?”  
“Don’t worry about it.  He just says that sometimes, it means nothing.”)

(“What are you doing, Tyler?”  
“Making an ‘I’m sorry’ bracelet for Brendon”  
“And why are you doing that?”  
“Well, I was just joking around and I made a joke about his forehead and he looked really upset and said ‘eff you’ except not just the letters.  I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings—it’s just everyone makes fun of his forehead.  Even him.  I dunno, maybe I’m just not close enough for that?”  
“Tyler he only says ‘eff you’ to someone when he likes them.  You don’t have to apologize.  And make fun of his forehead all you like.  Keeps his ego in check.”)

* * *

Tyler looked unconvinced, “I don’t know he seemed really serious about his friend Ryan that disappeared.”

“Ryan wasn’t killed by a sea monster! His family just moved all to Hong Kong or something.  Seriously, there’s nothing in here,” Josh floated on his back, demonstrating how safe it was, “it’s so hot out, just come in!”

“I’m good...I think I’ll just hang out here on the banks.”

This continued on until the first day the temperature hit the high eighties, and Tyler hesitantly waded in, gripping Josh’s hand tightly.

“See? There is no monster in here.  Doesn’t it feel great?”

“It’s not a monster.  It’s a _Victusesset hocredere_.”

Tyler still looked doubtful but he loosened up a bit until a force grabbed his ankle and pulled him under. With a shriek he disappeared below the surface and Josh received a mouthful of lake water from the splash as he stared dumbfounded at where Tyler sunk.  There was a trail of bubbles and thrashing before he reappeared, gasping for air and screaming.

“Get me the h-hell outta here!” Tyler flung himself at Josh who wasn’t ready and nearly drowned as Tyler clambered on top of him.

By the time they got themselves sorted out and Josh started carrying him back to shore, Brendon and Pete were doubled over with laughter just a few feet away.  One of them—neither would fess up to whom, had snuck up underneath the water behind Josh and Tyler.  Even though the culprits were easily identified, it took Tyler another week to stick a toe in the water.

Josh swore by hell or high water he’d get Tyler to go swimming every day like the rest of them.  After their misadventure looking for the waterfall and the subsequent kissing, they were desperate to look for places to be alone. 

It was three AM when Josh woke Tyler to sneak out beneath the full moon, and he led them to a secluded bank of the lake.  Josh pulled off his and Tyler’s shirts, pushing him flat to skimming hands down Tyler’s sides.  Tyler rose up to meet their lips in a feverish kiss.  This was far from the first time they’d made out in this spot, but definitely the first time Josh voluntarily drew away.

Tyler whined and reached to grab him and pull Josh back down.  But Josh dodged his hands and slid in the water.  Tyler groaned and ran fingers through his own hair.

“Josh, it’s not safe.”

“Yes it is.  I promise,” he replied, bobbing with his freckled shoulders and head above the water.  “Do you trust me?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Come in,” Josh demanded.

“Dude, please let’s just—” Tyler begged plaintively.

Josh shifted around briefly in the water and tossed his swim trunks at Tyler’s head.

“Whoops,” Josh said, and Tyler looked ready to faint with want.  “You _sure_ you don’t wanna come in?”

“Oh, what the hell,” Tyler gave up and stripped down, leaping in with a splash.

“Shh, not too loud,” Josh hissed as Tyler paddled to him and wrapped his arms and legs around his neck and waist, “Don’t want to wake the monster.”

Tyler glared and flicked Josh’s forehead, but then chased it with a kiss. “He can join if he wants.”

“Wow, I didn’t think you’d be the type to have a tentacle kink.”

“Well, it’s a summer of new things.  Who am I to deny it a good time?”

And yeah, after that Tyler _really_ enjoyed the lake from then on.

**Author's Note:**

> I made up the latin name and it very roughly means "This loser will believe this" of course it's wrong...i used google translate.
> 
> god I love this au. prompt me on tumblr @ teeentyonepilots. main is shivermepickles.


End file.
